ABSTRACT
In 1988 Taiwanese ethnomusicologist Hsu Tsang-houei escorted a troupe of aborigines 1 from his island on a performance tour of Europe which included a stop at the Maison des cultures du Monde in Paris. The concert attempted to capture a slice of rural Taiwan for select urbanites in France. As delivered to European audiences, here were farmers, seamen and builders from across the island – typical villagers hailing from obscure communities – who sang work songs, ritual songs and love songs.
